Veteran film director Michael Winner says he encourages people to assume he’s gay - so he can eye the ladies without interruption.

The Death Wish moviemaker, 72, has been dogged by questions regarding his sexuality for years despite being linked with a string of women and claims he has bedded more than 130.

However, instead of being angered by the rumours, the renowned ladies man embraces them - with very good reason.

Sarah Jessica Parker has revealed that the big screen adaptation of the hit TV series Sex And The City will start shooting towards the end of September.

The actress admits she and castmates Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon are “deep in prep,” but she’s refusing to give too much away about the cast and the plot of the much-hyped film.

A range of jeans and other clothing bearing a moniker from jazz songstress Amy Winehouse could be in clothing stores in 2008 and the star is looking to take a “full hands on approach” to the fashion range.

According to a source close to the boozy star, she has had a number of approaches from fashion retailers keen to get her to endorse a range of clothing.

A real-life Mr Bean who is said to work as a museum assistant and collect teddy bears, and claims to speak Yiddish and Hebrew, is the latest Big Brother contestant.

Nebbish Jonty Stern, from London, is also said to enjoy spanking both men and women, and claims to be a 36-year-old virgin.

The balding boffin went into Big Brother’s ‘halfway house’ over the weekend, to compete for the chance to become a fully-fledged housemate.

Former S Club 7 sex siren Rachel Stevens’ pop career may have nosedived but she’s still got the X-factor when it comes to being the face of something. 

And this time round, she’s not so much the face but the eyes of disposable contact lens brand Focus Dailies.

Stevens, who is also trying to forge an acting career in Hollywood, is currently being plastered across magazines, TV and web sites advertising the alternative to specs.

Loud mouth US comedienne Sarah Silverman says she now regrets poking fun at jailbird Paris Hilton on the eve of her June stint in prison after watching footage of the MTV Movie Awards.

Silverman, who hosted the awards show, joked about Hilton’s prison term, while the hotel heiress was in the audience.

David Gest has been dropped from a UK TV station - because they don’t know what to do with him.

Liza Minelli’s ex signed a one year deal with ITV after impressing the producers with his stint on British reality show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here last year.

Gest was given his own fly-on-the-wall series and a judging role on music show Grease Is The Word - but both were flops and the network’s bosses have decided to let him go.